Are You a Woman? Have You Spontaneously Climaxed During Exercise? Do You Like Science?

After this letter and my brief response appeared in Savage Love earlier this year...

I am a 30-year-old woman with a strange problem. I recently started lifting weights, and every time I use the arm machines, I have an orgasm. It is not obvious to anyone else (I think), and my sex life is great outside of the gym. I don't know if I should stop using the machines, because it's rude and kind of weird to have that happening, but it just seems to be a physical reaction to using those muscles. What should I do?

Fitness Freaking

Another 20 reps.

...I got a lot of mail from people who insisted that the letter had to be fake. And maybe it is. But this Savage Love reader isn't the only woman out there who claims to have experienced spontaneous orgasms during exercise. And now science—science!—is on the case:

Anecdotally, some women will talk about having experienced sexual pleasure or orgasm while performing physical exercise, such as sit-ups, weight lifting or other forms of exercise. However, there has been very little scientific research on the topic. Women who are at least 18 years of age are invited to participate in a study about their experiences related to sexual pleasure and/or orgasm during physical exercise. To learn more about this anonymous, online survey, please visit the study web site at: https://www.surveymonkey.com/s/womenandexercise